WINONA, Minn.  – The Augsburg University women's basketball team got back into the win column on Wednesday evening, dominating Saint Mary's University in a 70-50 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win at Saint Mary's Fieldhouse. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 70, Saint Mary's 50
LOCATION: Saint Mary's Fieldhouse, Winona, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 8-11 overall (7-9 MIAC), Saint Mary's 2-20 overall (0-17 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Auggies came out firing on all cylinders in the opening quarter, taking an early lead and pushing it to 13 points at 24-11 at the first quarter break. The advantage ballooned to as many as 19 in the second quarter, and the Auggies carried a 40-23 lead to halftime.
• Saint Mary's managed to narrowly win the third quarter with a 13-12 scoring edge, but the Auggies recovered to outscore the Cardinals 18-14 in the final frame to seal the 20-point victory.
• The Auggies had one of their strongest shooting nights of the season, going 23-for-49 (46.9%) from the field and a season-best 6-for-15 (40.0%) from deep. Active hands on defense were also a key factor, with 14 steals as a team compared to Saint Mary's' two.
• Anja Smith (SR, Kewaskum, Wis./Saint Mary's Spring HS) was just one point shy of her season high with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, also adding three rebounds and two steals.
• Wakinyela Bear (SO, Morrison, Colo./Meskwaki HS) finished with 13 points on an efficient 4-of-7 shooting performance, also adding four assists, three steals, and a rebound. Kalena Myers (SR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) was the third and final Auggie in double figures with 11 points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals.
• Amira LaDuke (SO, Cass Lake, Minn./Cass Lake-Bena HS) and Katie Manecke (SR, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) rounded out the starters with seven and six points, respectively, while Melanie Delestrez (SO, Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) led the effort off the bench with nine points and three rebounds.

FOR THE FOES
• Katelyn Cruze finished with a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Cardinals.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will host Concordia College-Moorhead on Saturday (2/10) in their final home game of the 2023-24 season.